Total Performance King T Track Roadster - Hot Rod Girl: Part III

Hello again, and welcome to the third installment of my home-garage assembly of a Total Performance King T track roadster. As you may recall, last month I finished up the chassis assembly. After initially assembling the chassis to check for fit and finish, Jim and I tore it down for paint and a few additional chores-like drilling and tapping the brake line clamp holes, fine-tuning and adjustment of the suspension (hairpins, tie rod, and four-bars), and the installation and plumbing of the brakes-before I reassembled it for good.

By now, those of you following the assembly are well aware of why I chose to build this particular hot rod. For those who aren't, in a nutshell, it goes like this:

I wanted a hot rod of my own, and I wanted to build it myself-but, I've never done it before. So, I really needed something designed to both be simple enough for a beginner to successfully complete and something that didn't look like a giant model car. My wishes were fulfilled when I came across the Total Performance King T; the kit was everything and more than I'd hoped for, and its assembly was amazingly simple.

From uncrating the parts to a finished and painted rolling chassis, it took roughly 55 hours or so, spread over a couple of weekends and a few nights after work. And remember, I've never built anything more complicated than a TV stand before I tackled this chore. And, don't think this is some kind of sham where Jim did the work and I only took the credit, though he did supervise and shoot the photos. The King T, and I feel safe at this point saying all of Total's kits, is the perfect way to get started in the hot rod hobby, especially with little in the way of experience or a big pile of bucks.

That said, this time around, we'll take a look at the T's driveline assembly and installation, and as I did with the rest of the vehicle, I used a catalog and a Web site to source my parts-but this time it was the Summit Racing catalog and Web site versus Total's.

The Summit catalog is extensive, and the company offers everything I needed to put together the mechanical parts to power my King T-again, all from the same place. I started my Summit shopping list with the choice of a small-block Chevy crate long-block, and though the company offers everything from powerful turnkey engines to individual components, I split the difference and went for a long-block assembly and the individual parts to complete it. Since the King T is lightweight, I figured I didn't need a monster motor in order to have fun; a relatively sedate V-8 would suffice. With that in mind, and with a need to stay within budget, I chose a 350ci, 260hp long-block (PN NAL-10067353). To this, I added all the ancillary parts I'd need to make it complete-from an intake and carb to a distributor and flywheel (Jim says flexplate). I had a list of parts that'd get me up and running within an hour or so of catalog and Web site shopping. Like Total Performance, Summit has a reputation and parts selection that's second to none, and like with the car itself, the idea of getting everything I'd need from one source was a plus.

It really is amazing to me that I've been able to construct a fully finished rolling chassis with a complete drivetrain with nearly all the main components sourced from basically just two companies, all within the last couple of months. Heck, Jim has spent more time than that sourcing parts alone in the past. Thank goodness for companies like Total and Summit, and thank goodness they've made it so easy and affordable. The whole project has been a pleasure so far, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel!